Jedadiah Crow has been passed a legacy of valor, both from his father – a mountain man – and a Crow war chief.While finding his way in life, Jedadiah builds his own reputation of leadership during the American Civil War, displaying integrity and courage.After the war, Jedadiah leads a group of former soldiers to California, setting the stage for The House of Crow.
In this follow-up to ‘House of Crow’ we meet up with Jedediah Crow as he enlists as a scout for the cavalry. Full of all the raw grit of the Wild West, this action-packed adventure had me unable to stop turning pages well into the night. The compelling story-telling reeks of authenticity, from the descriptions of the men’s uniforms & daily grind, to the stark scenery in which they travel forth to battle the South. The author has done a great job in continuity of his main character too & let’s just say that this book is full of the unexpected decisions that we come to warrant from Jed Crow.
This book continues the tale of young Jedidiah Crow, son of a mountain man raised by the Crow Indians after his mother is killed by bandits and his father has taken his revenge. Jedidiah Crow takes his gold East and joins the Union in the fight against the South. He becomes a scout and the leader of the Wolf Pack. He second in command is 1st Sargent Earl Stump. Both men are taller than the average. They are sent out as a delaying tactic to the rebel cavalry let by Jubal Early. Embedded in the tales are Southern spies. One a beautiful, wealthy woman. She manages to captivate and compromise several of the officers close to Edwin Stanton, Secretary of War. The war is drawing to a close. She manages to escape by killing a young man. She will be caught and jailed, but once again captivates someone and kills him for his efforts. The Wolf Pack and it’s leader are commended for their bravery, decorated, and release. The main group decides to follow Jedidiah Crow and Earl Stump to California where the two have U. S. Marshall positions awaiting them. We follow them westward and join a wagon train with them. Dangers abound from guerillas of the South, bandits, and angry Indian tribes. Once again Crow runs into Kenna. For some reason he will protect her from the government agents still looking to arrest her. Crow and his men will spend a winter with his father’s tribe before moving on to California. It’s a race to cross the desert and the mountains before the weather defeats them. New adventures await them there. Bandits, thwarted love, and ambushes make survival as dangerous as always.
Jeddediah Crow is the son of Isiah Crow, the grandson of Broken Leg, a Chief of the Crow nation. At the outset of this story of daring do, Jed is on his way to fight in the Civil War. There is no political urge, no politics guides his motives, and he is a natural leader, a natural scout who turns his company of men to scouts as well. His exploits are successful and he, along with several of his men, strike out westward. There are side stories, twists to this book you won’t expect. I won’t tell you what they are, nor give you the rest of the story. That would spoil your read and read this one you should. It is a bit different from White Crow and The House of Crow, but it is a compelling read. I started it one evening and finished it the next morning. It is well written, describes its characters as though they existed in history, and makes them human. It is a sequel which presents a couple of vignettes from the first two novels in the series, enhancing the read again. It merited five stars easily. Congratulations to the author for a great read.